What Does a Carer Do?

People with disabilities or other health issues that may prevent them from performing daily tasts may hire a carer who can help throughout the course of a day. The carer, also known as a caregiver, may be a day employee who stays at the disabled person's home for a regular work shift, or this professional may work in a live-in capacity, which means he or she is present in the home all day and all night while on the clock. Carers may perform a wide variety of duties, including helping the patient bathe, cook meals, or even run errands around town.

It is not usually exceptionally difficult to become a carer, though a candidate usually needs to have completed at least a high school education or equivalent qualification. Additional training will also be necessary to be considered for a position; first aid and CPR training is just about always required, and special certifications may be required as well in certain parts of the world. It is best for a potential candidate to look into the various requirements necessary to be hired as a carer so he or she can take the appropriate steps to earn certifications. Carers are often responsible for doing physical jobs as well, meaning heavy lifting may be required.

The patient or person with disabilities can tailor a carer's job descriptions, as each person will have distinct needs. One patient may, for example, need the carer to be on hand throughout the day to help with the most basic tasks, such as going to the bathroom or getting dressed. Other patients may only need the hired professional to come in for a few hours to take care of cleaning, administering medications, or even performing clerical tasks such as writing e-mails or making phone calls. The specific duties of carers can therefore be fairly wide-ranging.

If the carer has some medical training, he or she may help a patient with wound dressings, examinations, or other medical procedures, but this is not common. More often, carers are responsible for transporting patients to and from doctor's appointments and taking note of any special instructions doctors may have. Carers are not usually trained medical professionals, which means they are not often qualified to perform any medical procedures.